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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · hide · spell · spring · last · staff · dip · pound

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. spell — magic
  3. race — humankind
  4. last — final
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. spell — letters
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. spring — the season
  11. dip — to sink
  12. race — a contest
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. spring — a coil
  15. staff — a stick
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — of water
  21. last — to go on
  22. staff — employees
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com